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WITNESSES (N0 ModeL) J. H. ANTHONY.

I SHUTTLE FOR SEWING MACHINES. No. 315,880. Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

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FIEnh IVNVENTOFM u. Pcrzns. Pbawmhognphor. wmmgmna UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

J AMES H. ANTHONY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE HOUSEHOLD SEXVING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SHUTTLE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,880, dated April 14, 1885.

Application filed February 4, 1884. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J earns H. ANTHONY, of the city and county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shuttles for Sewing-Ma chines; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, t-aken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention consists in a sewing-machine shuttle having a circular bore, the surface or wall of which is smoothed or polished in a circumferential direction after the shuttle is hard ened, whereby the friction between said surface or wall and the circular heads of the bobbin, which is intended to be loosely mounted therein, is reduced to a minimum.

For many years there has been known in the art an openend shuttle having a circular bore in which a bobbin with heads which approximately fit the bore is mounted loosely, the bobbin being retained in the shuttle by a spring, as in the patent to D. V. Brown, No. 186,536, or by the upturned heel of the shut tlecarrier.

These shuttles are made by taking a solid piece of steel and cutting it to the proper shape by means of milling-machines. The cavity in them for the reception of the bobbin (which is placed loosely therein without any journal-bearings at its ends) is formed by boring ahole longitudinally in the body of the shuttle, from its heel to near its point, as shown in Fig. 2, this hole being bored by a suitable tool for cutting away the solid center, so as to leave merely a thin shell, as shown. After this has been done and the slot cut in the shell for the thread, and the shuttle otherwise completed so far as its shape is concerned, it is then tempered orsubjected to a hardening process, which latter not unfrequently warps the shell so that it is no longer a true circle internally. This tempering process also roughens its interior surface by oxidation, more or less. From these sources considerable friction has resulted, and although in amount it has not been sufficient to break or materially strain the thread when running from a full bobbin or from one reduced in size to a certain extent, yet when the bobbin has nearly run out, and the leverage of the thread on the revolving bobbin has thereby become considerably reduced, the thread has been strained and broken, causing a great amount of annoyance and much less of material and time.

The object of my invention is to reduce to a minimum the friction between the bobbinheads and the surface or wall of the bore of the shuttle, which I accomplish by smoothing orpolishing said surface or wall in a circumferential direction after the shuttle is hardened, thereby removing the roughness of said surface and incidentally bringing the bore-to a true circle, so that the thread may be run 6 entirely oi? the bobbin without breakage.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates in perspective a shuttle-case having an open rear end. Fig. 2 shows the same in longitudinal section with a bobbin located in place.

A is the shuttle-case, which is generally of a well-known construction. B is the bore therein, and b is the surface or wall of said bore. 0 is the bobbin, which is mounted loosely in the shuttle, and has heads a c, which approximately fit the bore B.

The shuttle-case having been manufactured in the usual or in any proper manner, and, having been hardened, my improvement is applied to it by smoothing or polishing the surface or wall I) of the bore in a circumferential direction by means of a proper toolfurnished with fine emery or other suitable material, which tool is revolved in the bore so as to smooth or polish its whole surface or wall, 8 or such portions thereof as are to come in contactwith the bobbin-heads during their revolution in delivering the thread, or the polishing of the interior of the shuttle-case may be effected in any other convenient way.

As will be readily understood, the smoothing or polishing of the surface or wall I), as above described, will reduce to a minimum the friction between said wall and the bobbinheads, the peripheries of which may also be polished, if desired, and the thread will not break when nearly run out.

I am aware that the operation of polishing has long been employed upon metals to produce an ornamental or attractive efiect; but in this instance it is accompanied with the useful function of rendering a shuttlecase of the character described Capable of being praobobbin loosely Without any journals, said tically used with a bobbin loosely mounted shuttle'having the interior surface or walls of therein and revolving upon its heads, without its bore made truly cylindrical and smooth the disagreeable results which have heretoafter it has been tempered, substantially as and 5 fore attended the use of this class of slgutiilles. I for the purpose set forth.

What I claim and desire to secure y ettars Patent JAMES H. ANLHONY.

As an improved article of manufacture, a Witnesses: shuttle for sewing-machines having a longi- W. H. THURsToN, :o tudinal bore adapted to receive and hold a S. J. MURPHY. 

